December 2022 Magazine Contents

The SOS team pick their hardware and software highlights from the last 12 months.

Ableton’s first app puts a Live‑compatible ideas machine in the palm of your hand.

Much more than just a bigger MicroFreak, Arturia’s MiniFreak is a six‑voice polysynth with a character like nothing else.

The ASP4816 offered big‑console features in a project‑studio footprint, but its new souped‑up sibling offers that bit more...

Swap your analogue pineapple for some digital jalapeño and grab a slice from the Bastl Instruments Pizza.

Rating: ***** 5/5 Stars. With Smack II, Big Fish Audio are clearly attempting to deliver the complete one‑stop shop for your body percussion needs.

The AP1 Compact features the same proprietary preamp circuit as the AP1, and delivers a superb sonic performance that gets very close to that of its larger stablemate.

It’s obvious to anyone working in any aspect of pro audio that it’s still a very male‑dominated industry...

If you’ve invested in a pair of high‑end headphones, you’ll want a high‑quality headphone amp to power them. And headphone amps don’t get much better than this...

We check out the updated version of Eventide’s creative ‘Structural Split’ effect.

Rating: ***** 5/5 Stars. Hybrid Studio Taiko library has a number of interesting design features compared to some of the obvious competition.

This classy valve mic proves its worth on a range of sources.

Rating: ***** 5/5 Stars. Aspire Modern Mallets introduces tuned percussion with a distinctly modern twist.

JBL’s latest EON speakers integrate powerful digital technology into traditional point‑source PA.

Every year modular developers are faced with the challenge of outdoing themselves with ever more inventive and useful modules...

Does the latest iteration of NI’s Komplete music production suite provide all the tools you need?

A good real‑time analyser can draw attention to what our ears miss, and with multi‑channel formats that second opinion can be invaluable.

Origin Effects’ new Halcyon Green Overdrive pedal is based on the classic Ibanez TS808 Tube Screamer.

PreSonus’ DAW software continues to grow and improve as it reaches version 6.

Avid’s latest 2022.9 release introduces a new free edition of Pro Tools.

PMC’s new nearfields push the boundaries of what a compact, two‑way speaker can achieve.

If you need a pair of portable and compact monitors, the Epic 4s have you covered!

Rides In The Storm have released a lot of modules, and were kind enough to send SOS an entire box to check out!

Sonible have packed even more ‘smarts’ into their second‑generation AI‑driven compressor.

Sonuscore transform the sounds of the orchestra into cinematic soundscapes.

Right out of the box, the Atlas compressor offers six types of digitally modelled compression based on revered studio hardware...

Tech 21’s renowned Character pedals get a new lease of life in the form of the compact, channel‑switchable Character Plus series.

Rating: ***** 5/5 Stars. Teletone Audio’s Ondine features treated and processed samples from popular analogue synths.

Toontrack and Hugh Padgham bring the drum sounds that defined the 1980s to Superior Drummer.

UST’s latest mic gives you two Neumann‑inspired classic flavours.

The addition of woodwinds, a third percussion collection and concert harp sees VSL’s Synchron Orchestra reach maturity.

Vir2’s Phoenix is a one‑stop shop for rises, hits and whooshes.

We get hands‑on with Zoom’s new dedicated podcast recorder.

Create retro sci‑fi soundtracks with Cubase’s Retrologue 2.

Sound On Sound December 2022

Cubase Workshop: Stranger Things Synths With Retrologue 2

Audio Examples...

Mix Modes can help you keep track of your mix revisions in Digital Performer.

Logic has built‑in tools for drum sample replacement.

Mark Mynett, sound engineer and senior lecturer at Huddersfield University, gives us an in-depth look at how to process and mix the various elements of a song recorded using live instruments.

London‑based record producer, programmer and session musician Andy Wright chooses the drum sound from ‘Dirty Mind’, on Jeff Beck’s 2000 album You Had It Coming.

Want a hit that transcends genres? Hire a mix engineer who does the same — as Steve Lacy did with Neal Pogue.

The ultimate one‑man band, Brazilian artist Ricardo Bacelar uses layers of drums, percussion, guitars and keyboards to build up dense immersive mixes.

Learn to stop worrying and love your mixes with our 10‑point checklist!

We’re often advised to check mixes on a car stereo. But how useful is the fabled ‘car test’ in reality?

Will I lose signal quality using a poor quality ADAT cable? 

Is a Beta 87A hotter than an SM58? I know there’s a difference in response curve, but how many dB hotter is it?

To find himself as an artist, Charlie Puth swapped high‑profile co‑writers for fan reaction on TikTok. It seems to have worked...

Gilla Band’s new album is one of the least normal things you’ll hear this year...

Many years ago, a manufacturer who shall remain nameless sent us two iterations of their new product...

Robert Henke, electronic visual music artist, software developer and co-founder of Ableton discusses the artist/engineer overlap and how software needs to be accessible to encourage and not hinder the creative process.

Ugandan producer and performance artist Tayo Alemi, aka Authentically Plastic, creates experimental electronic music.

My first experience with distortion was with guitar pedals. There was something amazing about physically stomping on a device...

This year marks the 30th birthday of one of the world’s leading manufacturers of synths, samplers and hardware controllers. In this podcast, Novation Product Specialist Chris Calcutt looks back over three decades of innovation.

SOS met up with former Solid State Logic System and Support Team Leader Karen Down for a deep dive into the automation and recall technology that brought about a revolution in mixing.